


The Layers of History, and the Dimensions of Sacrifice: Discussing the Poetry and Politics of The Sacrifice of Violence

by archer_nebulae



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Analysis, Class Differences, Essays, Gen, Meta, Poetry, Pre-Cybertronian Civil War, Seekers, The Sacrifice of Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-19 15:16:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22646950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archer_nebulae/pseuds/archer_nebulae
Summary: Starscream||Space Exploration Corps Academy> First Prize <Critical Literary Analysis Awards;Horizonline MagazineAbstractThe volume of poetryThe Sacrifice of Violencecaused a vortex of confusion among the literati because of the structure and the content of the work. Yet other general-public readers have little trouble, despite the complexity of the volume. It is productive to examineThe Sacrifice of Violencein the context of current divergent opinions, in the context of history, and in diptych with other poetry, to understand why the volume is crucially relevant to Cybertron at this time, across the social stratum.
Kudos: 25





	1. Note on Translation

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Victory Condition](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13272438) by [astolat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/astolat/pseuds/astolat). 
  * Inspired by [Champion](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12867291) by [astolat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/astolat/pseuds/astolat). 



> This is a rather literary-minded essay (in chapter 4 eventually!!), formally structured MLA as much as possible, as if a final thesis - in fact, Starscream's final thesis from the Space Exploration Corps Academy. It's written by Starscream ...with _all_ that entails.

**Note on Translation  
**

_italics_ within the translation indicates parts which have significant emphases – of hyperbole or understatement – of sarcastic tone – of dismissive judgment – that were marked in the original Cybertronian essay with a combination of glyphs and glyph-modifiers, and which match similar types of emphases, and the method of their marking, in one of the human styles of written communication.

The presence of internal writer-bias is a tradition in the Cybertronian style of literary research and analysis essays. It's expected that the writer interjects [vigorously] their [extensive] opinion of their sources for a given essay in the text itself. Indeed, it would be blasé to make such opinions in a comment or parallel-process thread attached to their own essay, but not internal of it. The consensus is that to make such opinions external is the indication of a noobish wordsmith, who is so ill-equipped to write, that they must make additional attempts [additional essays] to argue their opinions. And yet, apparently obviously, one is also considered noobish for excessive railing on the sources for an essay, which would then detract from any coherency of argument from the writer themself.

In contrast, a prevailing style of literary research and analysis essay on Earth [admittedly, with ignorance of other styles, biased from the Western hemisphere] claims that objective arguments that _do not_ contain explicit dismissal of sources, or the writers of those sources, is the ideal. One may dismiss or disprove a source's argument via yet a third writer's argument, or personal anecdotal evidence. Yet, even in such a purportedly objective and unbiased writing style, there is an in-joke mentality, a sly tradition of alluding to the writer's opinion internal of their own essay – perhaps in the listing of writers and contributors to an essay or project, or possibly in the discussion of prevailing research, or via the annotated bibliography. In this tradition, many examples of it are also lightly humorous and intended as a joke upon future readers – a trope not at all found in Cybertronian works – in addition to the harsher jibes. It may be noted, then, that Earth writers of this time period are not dissimilar to Cybertronian essayists – only our methods of essay-internal dissemination differ.

[brackets] will thus indicate parts of the translation, which also contains significant emphases, but which requires additional translations – ranging from various emotions, to specific words, to phrases, to complete sentences and digressions.

These instances are the internal opinions in the text of the essay, and often take up only a few glyphs or glyph-modifiers in Cybertronian. Yet, in terms of content, these instances are both over- and under-layer in the text of the essay, and do not translate directly into a written tone or style that is intelligible in the style of human essays and processing method.

Lastly, there are human mathematical axioms and concepts used throughout the essay. These terms are used to elucidate and enhance the essay itself. Mathematics, in all its forms, is frequently used as both a structure and a form and a genre of poetry in Cybertronian culture. Of course, in Cybertron the mathematics are named with other words, and so in this some of the complex allusion, reference, and connotation is lot. Nevertheless, we hope the presence of the mathematics will assist in the exploration of poetry between these two cultures. Should it be needed, there is an appendix and a glossary for the mathematically disinclined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **References:**  
>  The advice I used for writing the [abstract](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136027/).


	2. Timeline of Cybertron (Abridged)

* * *

* * *

In Cybertronian time units, one (1) vorn (VRN) = approximately eighty-three (83) years (YR). Some quick numbers then:

> 1 VRN = 83 YR
> 
> 10 VRN = 830 YR
> 
> 100 VRN = 8,300 YR
> 
> 1,000 VRN = 83,000 YR
> 
> 10,000 VRN = 830,000 YR
> 
> 100,000 VRN = 8,300,000 YR
> 
> 200,000 VRN = 16,600,000 YR

A large number of events related to the start of the Cybertronian Civil War occur during the one million year interval prior to the start of the war. I would speculate that, in addition to Megatron's creation happening during this time, that Starscream and many of the other named beings we know as significant figures in the war, were also created in this period.

* * *

* * *

**VRN 0** | YR 0 < **Sentinel Prime** defeats **Quintessons** , initiates new era of peace and freedom on Cybertron.>

**VRN 48,192** | YR 4,000,000 <Cybertron runs out of room. **Functionists** control the Senate. **Aleph overlayer** construction begins.>

<UNDATED> <Construction of **Beta** , **Chius** , **Diurna** , **Eidolon** , and **Fauron overlayer**.>

<UNDATED> <Construction of **Gamma** , **Hovia** , **Iotza** , **Jopin** , **Kapsio** , and **Longinus overlayer**.>

**VRN 192,771** | YR 16,000,000 < **Murvia** **overlayer** construction begins.>

<UNDATED> <Selenium vein found; Sentinel Prime opens mine; access shaft opens on **Diurna overlayer**.>

<Four miners and one tunneler built in **Kalis Fabricators** to work in selenium mine.>

**VRN 204,216** | YR 16,950,000 <50,000 YR prior war.> <Sentinel under pressure from **Alpha** **Trion** for monetary theft.>

<Selenium Tunneler - **Megatron** \- caught in bad tunnel collapse.>

<Megatron meets Brickbat, gladiator manager, and fights in arenas until war.>

<Several dozen VRN | approx 249 YR pass; Megatron bored with gladiator fights.>

<UNDATED> < **Starscream** attends the **Space Exploration Corps (SEC) Academy** and trines.>

<UNDATED> <Megatron becomes literate.>

<10,000 YR prior war.> <After 40,000 years of arena fights, Megatron begins writing poetry.>

<1,200 YR prior war.> <Megatron reads poetry in exclusive holo-vid tour from his mansion.>

<Murvia construction nearly complete; get view of it on the way to mansion.>

<The poem begins: “ _Will you ask to live? You will. You know you will…_ ">

**VRN 204,816** | YR 16,999,800 <200 YR prior war.> < ** _The Sacrifice of Violence_** published by Voice of Tarn, a pseudonym.>

<UNDATED> <Megatron defeats durasteel slagger in arena fight>

<Fight arranged by Sentinel Prime to kill M.> <M writes "durasteel slagger" poem.>

<10 YR prior to attack on senate.> <Megatron is actively recruiting.>

<M speaks to **Dirge** and **Ramjet** , both guards, post-reading of "durasteel slagger" poem.>

<3 DAY prior to attack on Senate - decisive career-ending arena battle.>

<Megatron - Champion of Tarn vs **Shockwave** \- Champion of Vox.>

**VRN 204,819** | YR 17,000,000 < **Cybertronian Civil War** starts, via attack by Megatron on Senate, whose seats held were by Functionists.>

<Megatron leads the **Decepticons** , the faction of the rebellion.>

<UNDATED> < **Destruction of Vos** , in retaliatory attack by dregs of Functionist Senate.>

<Starscream leads Seekers and other Citizens of Vos to join Decepticons.>

\- 8,000,000 YR of war -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sources are astolat's excellent fics "Champion," and "Victory Condition," with some speculation for the undated parts.
> 
> Starscream's personal history is very much my speculation, inspiration drawn from astolat.
> 
> The names of "Aleph," "Diurna," "Eidolon," and "Loginus" all come from astolat as well. To create all the other names for overlayers, I used the [Greek alphabet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_alphabet) as a launching point.


End file.
